TSA gave my MacBook Pro to another passenger at LAX, and now it's gone

This got a lot of discussion a while ago here: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11759741" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11759741</a>

I had an incident with the TSA in Austin where they silently removed my MacBook from the bin of my stuff and just wandered off with it.<p>I was travelling for work so I was carrying two laptops, two tablets and some custom network hardware that all needed to be scanned. Luckily I wasn&#x27;t too frazzled to notice that one laptop was missing from the bins, but it could have easily gone the way it did for the author here.<p>I ended up having to walk around the checkpoint asking random agents if they had taken my laptop because no one thought it would be worth flagging me down or notifying me in some way that they had taken my property. In the end I spotted some random TSA goon messing around with it at a table all the way across the checkpoint.

I had an incident with TSA in Miami where I accidentally left my Macbook Air behind in the tray and flew home to Raleigh before I realized it was missing.<p>So I called up MIA lost and found, identified the laptop by the neoprene case I keep it in, and was able to auhtorize having my father pick it up. He shipped it home to me.<p>These stories mostly don&#x27;t end poorly. The good outcomes just don&#x27;t make the news because they are the expected outcome (as they should be).<p>Tangent: I&#x27;m not a fan of the TSA, but I separate the organization from the individuals. Most TSA officers I&#x27;ve dealt with have been professional and pleasant. And since I always opt out, I&#x27;ve dealt with a lot of TSA officers.

&gt; Amazingly, this story ended well, but the only reason it did is that I set a custom lock screen message that included my contact info. If you are running OS X, I highly recommend that you do the same!<p>This is such a great idea. On Windows 10 this inspired me to set my account profile image to a picture with my phone number and email address.

I forgot my kindle in my rental car once, and I realized it after I was through TSA.<p>The (very kind) TSA lady walked me back through security, to the rental counter, to get the keys to the car park, to retrieve the kindle, back to the rental counter and then back through security!<p>Just wanted to put in a little positive for the TSA.<p>edit: syntax

I used to think stickers on Macbooks were a crime against their clean design. However when your entire office, or the airport security line, has a row of identical laptops, stickers become very useful in identification.

In India (where I just was), the security guys give you a &quot;token&quot; (a number on a plastic paddle), and put one on the computer in the bin. So when you pick up the computer, they match the tokens to make sure it&#x27;s you. Low-tech, but effective.

Well that was an enraging read. The passive aggressiveness of the last letter from the airline absolutely killed me.<p>We fucked up all your shit, can&#x27;t wait for you to fly with us again!

Before you downvote or comment on the resolution (the laptop mixup was an accident and it was returned shortly after), take a look at the last comment thread: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11759741" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=11759741</a> which was before it was returned. Interesting to observe the flood of comments about how it was a scam -- when it appears to have been much more innocent.

Anecdote:<p>A TSA agent took 20 minutes to begin searching my bag while my flight was about to leave. They finally finished it, I grabbed the bag and ran.... forgetting the bin with my wallet, keys, boarding pass, etc. I ran to the air shuttle, got to the terminal, only to realize I lost my stuff. Ran back to shuttle, ran to security, tried to be as &quot;un-panicked&quot; as possible and get a guard&#x27;s attention rather than busting through security the wrong way. Finally got someone to talk to me and found out they had actually gone to my terminal to return my items to me. So I ran back to the shuttle, back to terminal, retrieved my items and got on the plane. I was told not to be so careless with my stuff.<p>What I have learned is that if you actually unpack your entire bag into the bins in small clear ziplocks, they don&#x27;t have to wait for a guy to open and search your bag. They just look at your shit in passing and you can go.<p>Also, peanut butter is considered a cream and therefore cannot be taken on a plane in more than 3.4oz.... unless it&#x27;s on a sandwich.<p>Fucking TSA.

Should have a (2016) on the title.

I had a laptop vanish at LGA a few years ago. Mostly the same story, down to the &quot;sue us if you don&#x27;t like it&quot;. And it was LGA, so the TSA &quot;agents&quot; were also assholes.<p>I generally don&#x27;t fly with a laptop anymore. I bring an (encrypted) drive and borrow a machine. Only had one occasion when they asked for the drive to be taken out of my bag.<p>Considering current &quot;security&quot; at the border, I guess I need to buy an old feature phone as well for crossing the border. Although for fun, I&#x27;m very tempted to fill an old iPhone with choice commentary on what I think of the TSA.

Noone steals my ThinkPad T420s. There are advantages to a laptop older than my boots besides the excellent keyboard.

Isnt this actually the story of this random woman stealing this guys laptop?<p>TSA just picks up the items and motions towards the queue with them, just because they point a laptop at you doesnt mean you claim it and walk off with it...

&gt; &quot;Update, June 2: My computer is back! Scroll to the bottom for an update.&quot;<p>The computer was gone for just under two weeks. Still really sucks, of course.

Another PSA in addition to those in the article: keep your belongings in sight.

Well, I got groped by the TSA last week. You&#x27;ve got to keep a balanced view -- remember the good and the bad.

important to know it was a macbook pro and not a dell xps.

Sorry but that&#x27;s your fault for not keeping your eye on the laptop the entire time. I literally do not step to the scanner until it goes into the X ray, and then I keep an eye on it until it comes out.